Black Hawk College is one of 48 community colleges in Illinois and serves all or part of nine counties in northwestern Illinois with an area of more than 2,200 square miles and a population of more than 232,000.

The responsibility for governance, administration and operation of the college is vested in the board of trustees. This governing board is made up of seven locally elected members serving staggered six-year terms and one student trustee serving a one-year term. Student trustee votes are non-binding. The board of trustees delegates responsibility to the administration, faculty and staff for the practices and procedures, which accomplish the mission of the college.